NFL star Tom Brady brands Trump protest comments ‘divisive’

The New England Patriots quarterback said NFL owners should not fire players who refuse to stand during the national anthem.

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is at odds with Donald Trump on the issue of American football players’ protests during the US national anthem, calling the president’s comments “just divisive”.

NFL star Brady told Boston’s WEEI-FM that he “certainly” disagrees with Mr Trump’s comment that NFL owners should fire any player who refuses to stand for the anthem.

Patriots players locked arms with some team-mates during the Star Spangled Banner on Sunday against the Houston Texans, while other players knelt.

Some of the New England Patriots players kneel during the national anthem before the NFL match against the Houston Texans (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Brady has called Mr Trump a “good friend” in the past and one of the president’s “Make America Great Again” hats was spotted in Brady’s locker in 2015.

Mr Trump has often praised the quarterback on social media.

Brady skipped a White House visit with Mr Trump in April when the team celebrated its fifth Super Bowl title.

Lockhart said: “Everyone should know, including the president, this is what real locker room talk is.”

He added: “We don’t seek to get into political debates or relish being in the middle of it, but extraordinary statements from our clubs and owners demonstrate just how deeply we believe in our players and in our game.”

Democratic congressman John Lewis of Georgia, a prominent civil rights leader, said Mr Trump’s comments about protesting NFL players were “beneath the dignity of the president”.

Mr Jeffries, speaking from the House of Representatives floor, said he found it ironic that “the same group of people” who regularly refuse to criticise Russian president Vladimir Putin for his nation’s interference in the 2016 presidential election now criticise professional athletes for their protest actions.

“How dare you lecture us about what’s patriotic,” Mr Jeffries said.

He said the African-America community had endured many atrocities in the nation’s history, including a political brutality epidemic.

He said it was in that context that athletes such as Colin Kaepernick “kneel down so that others may have the courage to stand up”.